Funding Announced for CPB Bridge Widening

Pillars to support a four-lane bridge were built during original construction, though only two lanes were completed. Above, the additional pillars are visible on the west side of the bridge.

The 2017 city budget proposed in September by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock includes $8.4 million to complete the widening of the Central Park Boulevard (CPB) bridge as it passes over Sand Creek and the rail corridor used by the Union Pacific Railroad and RTD’s A Line commuter rail facility. City Council will adopt the budget in November. If the CPB bridge project remains in the budget, construction will begin in November 2017 with completion a year later (late fall 2018).

The project completes the final 0.65 mile section of Central Park Boulevard south of I-70, extending from 36th Avenue to 40th Avenue. It will eliminate the lane shifts necessitated by the connection of the existing two-lane bridge to multiple lanes north of 40th Avenue. The new section of the CPB bridge will be a mirror image of the existing facility – two through travel lanes and an attached multi-use path for cyclists and pedestrians.

The source of funds is the City Retained Tax (CRT) via an annual transfer from the General Fund. Essentially, CRT is a portion of the property and sales tax collected in Stapleton. For 25 years, those taxes are spent only in Stapleton through a mechanism known as tax increment financing (TIF). CRT is currently 30 percent percent of TIF revenue paid to the City of Denver to provide city services for Stapleton. In June, 2025, TIF revenue for Stapleton development ends.